Last updated July 2026 · all courses free at the point of access
Written by Dr Sam — practising dentist, Australia, and the clinician behind this directory. About the author →
Primary source: Canadian Dental Regulatory Authorities Federation — directory of provincial dental regulators. Your provincial regulator sets the CE rules that apply to you — find yours in the directory.
Canada doesn’t have a single national CE rule: continuing education is set by each provincial regulator. Ontario’s RCDSO, for example, runs a points-based system of roughly 90 CE points over a three-year cycle, while Alberta, British Columbia and the other provinces each define their own totals, categories and cycle lengths. The constants are the themes: a minimum volume of structured learning, category rules distinguishing lecture-style from hands-on or self-study credit, and an expectation that you keep verifiable records.
The good news for Canadian readers of this directory: most of our providers are recognised through ADA CERP or AGD PACE — the same recognition programmes most provincial colleges lean on when deciding what counts. A certificated webinar from a CERP-recognised provider is generally creditable across Canada, subject to your province’s category caps (some limit how much credit self-study or online lecture content can contribute per cycle — check your college’s current guide before you plan an all-online cycle).
Practically: pick courses that match your practice profile, download every certificate, and track credits against your provincial total rather than anyone else’s. The free CE tracker includes a Canada preset with an editable target for exactly this reason — set it to your province’s number and cycle, and log courses as you complete them.
For how Canada compares with the US state-by-state system and other countries, see the CE requirements guide and the US CE guide.
The practical Canadian playbook: read your college’s CE guide once at the start of each cycle and note two numbers — the total you need and any cap on self-study or online lecture credit. Plan the online portion from free CERP/PACE-recognised courses like the ones below, reserve the capped remainder for hands-on or live local events, and log raw hours plus certificates as you go. Mapping hours to your province’s points at renewal takes minutes when the underlying record is clean.
Browse certificated courses for your CE record →Browse free dental CE by province
A starting sample across clinical areas
- Innovations in Laser-Assisted Treatment Protocols: Redefining Hope for Hopeless Dentition and Failing Implants
- Carte Blanche: Esthetic and Functional Foundations for Removable Prosthetics
- Mastering Modern MTA: Evidence-Based Protocols for Pulp Therapy and Perforation Repair
- Gingival Diseases: Dental Plaque-Induced
- CAMBRA Strategies – Successful Integration into Your Practice
- CBCT in Action: Unexpected Findings & What to Do Next
- The Value of Being Seen: Elevating Care for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
- Early Intervention, Greater Production: A Modern Strategy for Team Buy-In and Growth
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Frequently asked questions
Who sets CE requirements for Canadian dentists?
Your provincial regulator, not a national body. Ontario’s RCDSO runs a points-based cycle of roughly 90 CE points over three years; Alberta, British Columbia, Québec and the rest each define their own totals, categories and cycle lengths. Always work from your own college’s current guide.
Do free online courses from US providers count in Canada?
Usually, yes. Most provincial colleges lean on ADA CERP and AGD PACE recognition when deciding what counts, and most providers in this directory carry one or both. The caveat is category caps: some provinces limit how much credit self-study or online lecture content can contribute per cycle, so check before planning an all-online cycle.
What’s the difference between points, credits and hours?
Mostly terminology. Ontario counts ‘points’, other provinces count ‘credits’ or ‘hours’, and category weightings differ — a hands-on course may earn more per hour than a webinar. When you log a course, record the raw hours plus the certificate; you can map them to your province’s point system at renewal time.
Do I need to keep certificates?
Yes. Colleges audit, and the certificate — your name, the provider, the date, the hours — is the evidence. Download it immediately after each course (some platforms make older certificates hard to retrieve) and keep a running log; the free CE tracker has a Canada preset with an editable target for your province’s numbers.
Where do I confirm my province’s current rules?
Your college’s website: RCDSO (Ontario), CDSBC/College of Oral Health Professionals of BC, the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta, l’Ordre des dentistes du Québec, and so on. Requirements do change — the numbers on this page are a planning guide, not a substitute for the source.